


Heavy is the Head

by Kolivans (arka_r)



Series: Long Live Emperor Kolivan [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emperor Kolivan AU, Gen, They/Them Pronouns Kolivan, They/Them Pronouns Pidge, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-09 19:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17412551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/pseuds/Kolivans
Summary: Emperor Zarkon is dead and a Kral Zera is held. The result is not what everyone might expect.Canon divergence AU where Kolivan became the Emperor of the Galra Empire. Updated daily.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so...
> 
> i wrote this fic for galra big bang 2019 but i finished it months early and i crave that Validation. so here we are.
> 
> beta'd by [revasnaslan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan), as usual. also big shoutout to [aretia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia) for helping me hammering out the plot. check out their works, you guys. they're amazing.

 

“The flame is lit! Bow to your emperor!” announced the Archivist.

 

With their blade in one hand and a torch in the other, Kolivan, at the top of the stairs, let out a shaky breath. The fight was over; all Galra gathered on the sacred arena had their eyes on them, mouths agape and eyes wide in disbelief. None of them bowed. That was fair, Kolivan thought.

 

They hadn’t meant to light up the Kral Zera either.

 

The mission was supposed to be clear and simple; blow up the sacred arena and kill all the high-ranked Imperial Commanders attending the Kral Zera. But then Shiro arrived, bringing Prince Lotor and the Black Lion along, and Keith had insisted they cancel the mission. Kolivan agreed, only because the Black Lion and its Paladin were too valuable to lose.

 

They attracted the Commanders attending the Kral Zera, and a battle ensued as the four of them—Kolivan, Keith, Ilun, and Vrek—were trying to get out of the planet. And then, of course Keith had insisted they save Lotor too and got himself in danger, and Kolivan… they had to save him, one way or another. They had to stop the fight, and they didn’t see any other option.

 

So they lit up the flames and hoped that would be enough.

 

“ _Bow_ to your emperor!” the Archivist repeated, louder and more urgently; and this time, one by one, all Galra who gathered on the sacred arena fell to their knees. All, but _two_.

 

Kolivan stared down the stairs, where Gnov was pinning Keith to the ground, her blade to his throat, and Sendak had his prosthetic arm hovering above Prince Lotor’s prone body. Kolivan flicked their mask off and the wind immediately whipped at their face. Gnov let out a gasp, while Sendak’s face morphed into recognition, and then into anger.

 

“You!!!” Sendak shouted, stepping over Prince Lotor’s body and climbed up the stairs. “You have no right to be here!!”

 

“Every Galra who attend the Kral Zera has every right to ascend the steps and light up the flame”, the Archivist piped in. “That is written in the rules.”

 

“They are a traitor!” Sendak pointed his massive prosthetic arm towards Kolivan.

 

“They are a Galra”, the Archivist countered. “And they lit the Kral Zera. Whether you want it or not, they are _your_ emperor.”

 

Sendak looked like he was going to murder the Archivist, so Kolivan stepped in between the two of them, blade raised. By now, Gnov had stepped away from Keith before kneeling, giving the young part-Galra a chance to wake Prince Lotor up.

 

Keith was alright, that was all that mattered, but he looked at Kolivan in confusion. Kolivan made a mental note to talk to the boy later—there were so many things they had to arrange, like the future of the Blade of Marmora… and the Empire.

 

 _Stars, the Empire_. Kolivan internally groaned. Were they truly going to be the emperor? Managing the Blades was already difficult enough, and now the fate of the Empire and everyone who lived in it rested in their hands too? Already Kolivan could feel a headache building behind their eyes.

 

The war had to stop, of course, and so did the oppression of other beings—and Kolivan realized with a jolt that this could be their only chance to bring peace and stabilization to the Universe. They could fix the Empire, from the inside, and make it into a better place to live.

 

They had to do this.

 

Kolivan stared down to all the Galra gathering at the sacred arena, and felt sheer determination filling their chest.

 

—

 

There was no fanfare or the likes when the Archivist crowned Kolivan as Their Sagacity, the Thirty-Fourth Emperor of the Galra Empire. It had been a long time since the Empire had a new emperor, and the people of Galra were not one for pomp and celebration anyway.

 

Not to mention that the Empire was already descending into chaos after Zarkon’s death. Even before the Kral Zera, there were already several factions within the Empire. A civil war was imminent, and Kolivan had to think a way to stop it sooner rather than later.

 

There was, however, an empire-wide broadcast where the Archivist announced about the new emperor. Feeling millions of eyes staring at their very being, Kolivan had to resist the urge to put their mask back on. They understood the importance of such broadcast, and it was straight to the point anyway, which suited them just fine.

 

Commander Gnov and her faction was the first to swear allegiance to Kolivan. She ascended the steps and kneeled before Kolivan. Head bowed and blade raised, she swore her vow.

 

“I, Commander Gnov of the Second Fleet, pledge allegiance to the new emperor, Their Sagacity Emperor Kolivan.”  Her voice rang loud and clear in the sacred arena; there was no shred of hesitation there.

 

She used to be one of Zarkon’s advisors and her faction mostly consisted of Zarkon’s inner circle, and Kolivan wondered if she and her cronies hoped to retain that position. Their question was answered when she sidled into their side as the two of them walked into a cruiser that would take them back to the Central Command, assuming her position as Kolivan’s right hand without even a word.

 

Kolivan turned slightly to her, eyebrows raising in inquiry.

 

“The Black Lion escaped, but we arrested Prince Lotor and the three… um, _dissidents…_ working with him. What do you want to do with them?” she asked, and it took Kolivan one full tick to realize that she meant _their_ Blades.

 

“Free them, but I wish to speak to the Blades first”, Kolivan said with a protective growl.

 

Gnov’s stature straightened up as she said, “Your Sagacity, Prince Lotor has been declared as enemy of the Empire—”

 

“Then I will pardon him”, Kolivan interrupted her. “But like I said, let me speak to the Blades first.”

 

Gnov quickly masked her surprise, before she gave them a salute. “Yes, Your Sagacity”

 

She took Kolivan to the brig of the ship where Keith, Ilun, and Vrek were being held. The three of them were unmasked—probably by force, as it was standard protocol in the Empire—and they stood up straighter when they saw Kolivan walk in.

 

“Kolivan, I—” Keith tried to speak up, but Kolivan raised their hand first to shut him up.

 

“Leave us alone”, Kolivan told Gnov and the sentries guarding the cell.

 

“Yes, Your Sagacity”, Gnov saluted, before walking away. The door shut behind her and Kolivan turned their attention back to their Blades.

 

“I do not have much time. I need you three to retrieve a senior Blade member named Krolia from Warlord Ranveig’s base in the Jolana System. Tell her that I’m leaving the leadership, she’ll know what to do next”, Kolivan said quickly.

 

“Leaving the leadership… are you really going to lead the Empire?” Ilun asked.

 

“It is our only chance to bring peace and stability to the Universe”, Kolivan answered. “I know this all is… unplanned and unprecedented. But like I said, Krolia will know what to do next.”

 

“What about Voltron? And the Alliance?” Keith asked next.

 

“I’m sure Shiro had taken care of that matter and reported back to the Alliance. Whatever happens next will happen next”, Kolivan answered, before turning to leave. “Come, you three need to go now before the ship enters the hyperjump.”

 

Keith, Ilun, and Vrek left the ship in an Imperial fighter. Kolivan watched them leave, before eventually heading to the cell where Prince Lotor was being held. Lotor’s cell was even smaller and darker than the one the Blades had been in, and the Prince himself was sitting on the single cot, head bowed and arms crossed over his knees.

 

Kolivan knew that Zarkon had a son—a _man_ , who was supposed to be as old as Sendak. Instead, what Kolivan saw inside this cell was a boy, who couldn’t be older than Shiro or Ilun. Lotor—he was no longer a prince now—looked up when Kolivan entered the cell. There was something like vulnerability in his eyes, before it was masked away with indifference.

 

“You look younger than I expected”, Kolivan said. Lotor gave a small shrug, but didn’t say anything about the matter. _Of course_ , age meant nothing if one had enough supply of quintessence, and the ex-prince clearly had it in abundance.

 

“You’re leading a rebellion under my father’s nose, undetected for however long. That is very impressive, I must say”, Lotor said instead. “Tell me, how did you do it?”

 

“A lot of caution”, Kolivan answered curtly. They did not have time nor trust for that kind of story.

 

Lotor chuckled. “What are you going to do to me now? I am an enemy of the Empire, as you already know. Not to mention that I am Zarkon’s son, a supposed-heir to the throne. My position is not exactly favorable to you.”

 

“I wish to pardon you and your little merry band of Part-Galra”, Kolivan said. “And make _you_ into a warlord.”

 

“Pardon?” Lotor blinked, surprised.

 

“Yes”, Kolivan returned. “I know about your secret quintessence supply, back when you were an emperor pro tem. I want you to continue supplying the Empire with quintessence. Stars know we’re going to need so much of it, with all the quintessence crises that happened all across the Empire.”

 

“What are your terms?” Lotor’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

“I want all of you to swear allegiance to me and make no trouble”, Kolivan said. “The empire is on the brink of collapse. I wish to prevent a civil war from breaking out, and I’m going to need as many help as I can get to reform the Empire.”

 

“I… see…” Lotor hummed. “Very well, I accept your terms. I too do not wish for a civil war, that's why I came to the Kral Zera.”

 

Kolivan nodded. “Good. Now, let’s get to work.”

 

—

 

Once the ship arrived at the Central Command, the guards immediately escorted Kolivan to the throne room. It was so much grander than Kolivan expected, with its tall ceiling and viewer on all sides to observe the Central Command System. Kolivan thought it was a waste of space, though they also understood its historical importance.

 

All Galran commanders and warlords were already present in the throne room, waiting to pledge allegiance to them. Kolivan walked to the top of the dais, with Gnov and Lotor at their sides. This arrangement caused some of the commanders to murmur to each other.

 

 _Oh well_. Better to get this over with sooner rather than later.

 

“Loyal soldiers of the Empire”, Kolivan began, and the room fell into a hushed silence. “My name is Kolivan, and from today onwards, I will be your emperor.”

 

“It is my sacred duty to guide you to achieve your better selves. Together, we will make a better empire for everyone, and that includes our Part-Galra and Non-Galra brethren”, Kolivan continued. “And as my first act as an emperor, I will pardon Lotor and his generals from all their crimes against the Empire, and make Lotor into a warlord.”

 

The room exploded into chaos as the commanders tried to outspeak each other, but Kolivan ignored them. Instead, they focused their attention on Lotor, who climbed up the dais and stopped to kneel before Kolivan.

 

“I, Warlord Lotor, pledge allegiance to the new emperor, Their Sagacity Emperor Kolivan”, Lotor vowed, before stepping down the dais.

 

The room fell into silence. No one took Lotor’s place at the dais for a long, tense moment. Kolivan skimmed over the uncertain faces only to find hesitation, which was justified. Kolivan was an outsider, an unknown entity to these commanders and warlords.

 

They probably heard about the Blade of Marmora, but Kolivan had been very cautious not to show their face to any Imperial soldiers for five hundred years. Of course, there were commanders like Sendak and Gnov, who were old enough to remember them before they joined the Blades, who’d known them as a traitor, a scholar—unfit to be an emperor. They probably thought that they could do better, be a better emperor than Kolivan themself.

 

Then, Sendak stepped forward and climbed up the steps, breaking Kolivan out of their musing. Kolivan tensed up, expecting an attack. An attempt against their life. They were prepared to draw their blade and fight their way out.

 

Instead, Sendak kneeled before them.

 

“I, Commander Sendak of the Third Fleet, pledge allegiance to the new emperor, Their Sagacity Emperor Kolivan”, Sendak said, loud and clear, and Kolivan couldn't help but be surprised. Sendak was the last person they had anticipated to pledge allegiance to them, and yet…

 

After Sendak, more commanders and warlords pledged their allegiance to Kolivan. Some were sincere and some were not. Kolivan took a mental note to be wary of those who were less than sincere in their vow, and to check their backgrounds. The whole procession took _hours_ —Zarkon had a massive following, and realistically, Kolivan knew that this couldn’t be all of them. There could be other commanders or warlords out there, separatists who wished to rule a portion of the Empire. They took another mental note to take care of them sooner rather than later.

 

When it was finally over, Kolivan felt exhaustion seeping into their bones. The guards then escorted them out of the throne room and into the inner sanctuary where the emperor’s personal quarters were.there were less people around, though Kolivan could feel curious eyes on them—probably coming from servants and guards.

 

Once they were finally alone, Kolivan sank to the floor and let out a long, shaky breath. The whole thing had been overwhelming and it was only by miracle they did not lose their composure sooner. Rubbing their face, Kolivan looked around the room and a realization hit them like a battlecruiser to the face.

 

They were in _Zarkon’s_ personal quarters.

 

The room was bare from personal touches, but Kolivan couldn’t help but imagine Zarkon residing in it, reclining on the plush couch by the wall to read reports or walking out of the bedroom, getting ready for the day.

 

Realistically, Kolivan knew that the room had already been cleaned out before they even reached the Central Command. But bile rose in their chest and they knew they had to get out of the room quickly before they crumbled even more.

 

They nearly toppled the guards by the door when they got out of the room, breathing sharply as they tried to compose themself.

 

“Give me another room”, Kolivan said. “The one that Zarkon _never_ used.”

 

The guards looked at each other, but thankfully didn’t say anything before escorting them to a different room. This one was smaller, and was in a state of disuse that it felt as if the room was preserved in complete stasis. Kolivan let out a shaky breath before delving deeper into the room.

 

There was a small bed, a desk and a chair, and a wardrobe. Kolivan checked the wardrobe only to find that it was empty. Sighing in relief, they turned to the second door and found a small bathroom with a simple sonic shower by the wall.

 

It was _perfect_.

 

Kolivan was about to undress before pausing, hesitating. They might be the emperor, but they knew that their position was still rather precarious. They had no allies here, not until they were fully certain that it would be safe for the Blades to move in. Someone could’ve snuck into their room while they slept and ended their life in a single fell swoop, and the empire would end further in chaos.

 

Sighing, Kolivan finally decided to sit on the floor, before they began to meditate.

 

This would be a long night.

 

—

 

The next morning found Kolivan meeting with the Royal Seamstress, Biyak. She was a small woman, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t pull a knife on them. Kolivan still kept their guard up as she measured them and puttered about.

 

“Please, Your Sagacity, if you would _relax_ ”, Biyak said after a moment, exasperation clear in her voice. “I am weaponless, save for the sewing needles I am carrying. You don’t think I would murder you with them, do you?”

 

“The needles could be poisoned”, Kolivan said as a matter of factly. “Or you could strangle me with your measuring tape. There are hundreds of ways you can use to kill me right this very instant and there is no reason for me to trust you.”

 

Biyak paled, her eyes shifting around. “Your Sagacity, permission to speak freely?”

 

“Permission granted”, Kolivan blinked, surprised at her sudden change of demeanor.

 

“Someone… someone did try to convince me to… to _kill_ you”, she stuttered and rolled the hem of her shirt nervously, before shaking her head so hard her ears flapped. “But I would never! I would _never_ do such thing to, to harm you!”

 

“And why do I have to trust you? For all I know, you could be plotting for my demise”, Kolivan returned, their hand touching the hilt of their blade and Biyak’s eyes widened in that instant.

 

“P-please, Your Sagacity…” she stuttered weakly before falling to her knees. “My family and I have been l-loyal to the Emperor for _eons_. I would never harm you, I swear it, Your Sagacity! I swear it with my life!”

 

Kolivan paused at Biyak’s genuine fear, and felt a strange guilt blooming inside their chest. No, they _refused_ to feel guilty for doing what they had to do to survive—but that was what Biyak also did, they realized. Kolivan could not imagine what her life was like when she served under a tyrant like Zarkon, how much she suffered. Kolivan decided that the guilt they felt came from scaring her so badly.

 

“I understand.” Kolivan sheathed their blade back, and Biyak’s shoulders sagged. “If I can assure your safety, can you tell me who tried to convince you to assassinate me?”

 

Biyak rose slightly, a relieved expression appearing on her face.

 

“It’s the High—” she choked, all of a sudden, her eyes bulging wide before she crumpled to the floor. Kolivan let out a surprised sound when they realized what just had happened. They kneeled down next to her prone body, searching for her pulse.

 

There was nothing. Biyak was already dead.

 

_But how?_

 

As calmly as they could, Kolivan stepped out of their room and found the guards standing nearby. They saluted instantly and waited for Kolivan’s command.

 

“Someone killed my seamstress without even being present and I want to know how they did it”, Kolivan told them. The guards’ eyes widened.

 

“S-should we call the Druids?” one of the guards asked, and the mention of the Druids, Kolivan had an epiphany.

 

“No”, they answered quickly. “Call Warlord Lotor and Commander Gnov. Oh, and also Medic Vargo from your sickbay.”

 

“Yes, Your Sagacity!” one of the guards saluted, before rushing to do as ordered.

 

The Druids, and by extension, High Priestess Haggar— _of course_. Kolivan should have expected her to do such thing. She was not a Galra so she couldn’t keep the throne to herself, but she did seem to have a certain interest to keep it well within her reach. She had Emperor Zarkon’s trust, and she was the one who championed Sendak to be the next emperor. After the Kral Zera, no one knew about her whereabouts.

 

She was also the reason why Kolivan had to assume a new identity and escape the Empire. They could still remember it even though five centuries had passed—the burning anger they felt at their destroyed home, the sheer terror they felt when they were on the run from the Empire. Kolivan wondered if she remembered them; she had to. There was no other explanation why she would be so keen to kill them.

 

Gnov, Lotor, and Vargo arrived roughly at the same time, breaking Kolivan out of their musing. Vargo looked briefly surprised, before he kneeled by Biyak’s corpse. He then began to examine her body with the portable medical scanner he was carrying. Meanwhile, Kolivan briefed Gnov and Lotor about their suspicion.

 

“I cannot say for sure without proper autopsy, but it does seem that her death was quintessence-related”, Vargo said after awhile.

 

“That does sound like the witch’s handiwork”, Lotor piped in, arms crossing over his chest. “She disappeared after the Kral Zera, right?”

 

“If she can kill someone from the distance, why didn’t she kill the Emperor instead?” Gnov asked. “Why alert us of her ability? That doesn’t sound right.”

 

“I don’t know for sure”, Kolivan said. The extent of Haggar’s power was unknown to them; aside from the Komar, the Blades had absolutely no intel about Haggar and her Druids.

 

“Eye contact”, Lotor said all of a sudden. “She brainwashed one of my… generals, to act as her eye to spy on me. Which was ironic, because my general was blind.”

 

He sounded bitter, so Kolivan decided not to ask further. Instead, they focused their attention back to where Vargo was preparing to carry Biyak's body for autopsy. If Haggar truly could gain access into someone’s head through eye contact alone, then Kolivan didn’t know how to counter it. Keeping their eyes shut the whole time wouldn’t work either, if she could brainwash a blind person.

 

“Haggar and her Druids are too dangerous to be left alone”, Kolivan said after awhile. “She needs to be stopped.”

 

“Do you have something on your mind, Your Sagacity?” Lotor asked.

 

“Yes.” Kolivan nodded. “Prepare an empire-wide broadcast.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Attention, citizens of the Galra Empire”, Kolivan began, addressing the cameras as they stood on the top of the dais. The throne room was empty, save for Lotor who was standing far away from the cameras.

 

“Today, an attempt has been made to assassinate me. They failed, and instead one of my loyal subjects perished in the crossfire. After conducting a series of investigations, we found that the culprit was likely to be a Druid.”

 

“The High Priestess and the Druids are a plague that causes the Empire much suffering. They tortured and killed many good soldiers who only wanted the best for the Empire”, Kolivan continued. “They have their own agenda that does not suit the spirit of the new empire under my reign. Peace and stability—all these things can be achieved without their dark magic poisoning our core beliefs.”

 

“I am hereby announcing that High Priestess Haggar and her Druids are now enemies of the Empire. All Galran forces are authorized to use deadly force to stop them and kill them on sight. If you are a loyal citizen of the Empire who possesses any information regarding to them, you are required to inform your local law enforcer”, Kolivan said, ending their speech and the broadcast.

 

When Kolivan stepped down the dais, Lotor greeted them with a formal salute.

 

“That speech was quite something, even though now I’m not the target”, Lotor said, his eyes examining Kolivan’s shiny new armor. “How’s the new wardrobe?”

 

Kolivan looked down at the armor they were wearing. Gone was their own ceremonial wrap-around robe, replaced with dark robe and breastplate. Geometrical indigo lines decorated the breastplate and the hem of the robe, and the whole ensemble was completed with their blade sheathed on their side. It was nice, if a little bit too extravagant for Kolivan’s taste.

 

“Quit dawdling”, they chided. “What do you want?”

 

“May I ask what you're going to do with my fath—with Zarkon's belongings?” Lotor asked.

 

Kolivan raised their eyebrows, not expecting this turn of the conversation. “I donated them all to the Royal Museum of Ancient History.”

 

The Archivist had been happy to relieve them off Kolivan’s hands, eagerly cataloguing them for historical purposes. Kolivan tried not to think too hard about the fact that in a month or two, Zarkon’s personal belongings would be displayed for the public. In fact, Kolivan tried hard not to think about their predecessor, if they could help it.

 

“ _ All _ of them?” Lotor's ears drooped slightly before they perked up. “And what of Haggar's things from her lab?”

 

“Gnov is confiscating them as evidence for the case”, Kolivan answered. They had ordered her to lead the case, and she had been hoping to find something that could be used to track down Haggar and her cronies.

 

“She can't—!!” Lotor sighed, his shoulders sagging. “Haggar stole my mother's work, repurposing it for her own nefarious purpose. I want to… I  _ need _ to get them back.”

 

Kolivan rubbed their chin. They knew that the Empire had been bastardizing Lady Consort Honerva's work—they stumbled upon it once, when they were younger. That was the reason why Haggar chased them out of the Empire. If she indeed possessed Honerva's work, it had to be something worth looking for.

 

“The knowledge belongs to the Empire”, Kolivan said eventually. “But you may ask Gnov to return it to you once she is done with the investigation.”

 

“Thank you”, Lotor returned with a smile. “May I ask what are you going to do now?”

 

“Princess Allura invited me to meet with other members of the Voltron Alliance. We are supposed to discuss about the peace treaty between the Alliance and the Galra Empire”, Kolivan answered.

 

Lotor’s ears perked up. “May I come with you? I need to speak with Princess Allura regarding quintessence production.”

 

Kolivan raised their eyebrows. “Of course. I intended to bring Commander Gnov along, but I suspect she is quite busy now.”

 

— 

 

The two of them took one of the Imperial cruisers to Olkarion, where the Voltron Alliance headquarter was. Even though Lotor had suggested they used his Sincline ship to go to the surface, Kolivan had insisted they used a small shuttle instead. That way they wouldn’t scare the Alliance members by bringing down an advanced Galran fighter into their midst.

 

As they landed on the docking bay, all of the Paladins of Voltron (minus Keith, of course) were waiting for them, along with several prominent members of the Alliance—Ryner, the Puigian leader, the Taujeerian leader, some Balmeran representatives, some rebels like Captain Olia and Ozar, and so on.

 

“Welcome to Olkarion, Emperor Kolivan”, Ryner greeted and the two of them exchanged a handshake. “We hope you had a pleasant trip.”

 

“Thank you for the warm reception. I am pleased to be here”, Kolivan returned. “Although I apologize for not coming sooner. There’s been an attempt to assassinate me, and we have been very busy to catch the culprit.”

 

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay, man… dude… Emperor…?” the Yellow Paladin, Hunk, tilted his head to the side in uncertainty. “Do we have to bow to you now?”

 

Kolivan’s ears flicked in amusement. “Thank you for your concern, but I am quite alright. However, Haggar is still on the loose, and so are her Druids. We fear that they will continue to terrorize the Empire and force people to turn to their side, if left alone.”

 

“That sounds dangerous. Can we assist you in any way possible?” Shiro asked.

 

“That would be helpful. You may confer with Commander Gnov—she is the one leading the hunt for Haggar”, Kolivan replied. “In the meantime, please be at ease. The Empire is no longer at war with the Voltron Alliance, or the Universe at large.”

 

“How are you going to expect an empire that’s only known violence for thousands of years to put down their weapons?” Allura asked all of a sudden.

 

Kolivan sighed. “The reason why the Empire is so violent towards other beings is because we have an incredibly high demand of quintessence. Warlord Lotor here is working to provide it. Of course, it is an ongoing process still, but I do intend for things to change. For once, the oppression of other beings will stop and I will be pulling out Galran forces from occupied worlds.”

 

Allura nodded in satisfaction, and Lotor stepped forward.

 

“I’ve been working to get an unlimited amount of quintessence, but I may require Princess Allura’s help to get it”, he said.

 

“How can I help?” Allura asked, her ears perking up in eagerness.

 

“Perhaps later, after the feast? We can head back to the Central Command to find some Altean artifacts inside Haggar’s lab”, Lotor continued. Allura nodded and their group then moved into the Castle of Lions. 

 

Kolivan listened in silence as the Paladins chattered amongst each other. It was… refreshing, in a way. Kolivan had not realized how tense they had been since becoming the emperor. Now, they found that they felt more at ease surrounded with familiar allies. Sure, their relationship was not a casual one, but it was certainly better than the bitter reluctance some of the Galran soldiers around them had displayed.

 

Soon, they arrived at the main dining hall. The dining hall had been decorated with Voltron Alliance banners and Imperial banners hanging side by side, a symbolic gesture that they were now working together. The table was absolutely brimming with delicacies from all over the galaxy—and Kolivan couldn’t help but feel touched as they noticed Galran cuisine amongst the menu.

 

Princess Allura took the seat at the head of the table, while Kolivan sat opposite of her. The Paladins of Voltron took one side of the table, while the other Alliance members and Lotor took the other side.

 

“Welcome, esteemed guests. It is an honor to have you all here, at the beginning of the new era of peace”, Princess Allura began.

 

“And I am honored to be here, Princess and esteemed allies”, Kolivan returned. “The Galra Empire is working towards a better future, where we can live in peace with other beings from all over the Universe.”

 

“Well, I’m just glad that we don’t have to fight the Empire anymore”, Captain Olia said, and her fellow rebels made a noise of agreement. 

 

The feast was eaten while they chatted about inconsequential matter, and more than once the Paladins asked about Keith, which… Kolivan admittedly didn’t know much about. They only heard back from Keith once, that he had succeeded at retrieving Krolia, and that was it. Once, Kolivan wondered if the young Blade was upset at them, but they had discarded the idea and focused their attention back to the Imperial matters.

 

“When do you plan to pull out your forces from occupied worlds?” Princess Allura asked all of a sudden, and the atmosphere on the table turned serious, if not downright grim.

 

“As soon as possible. I intend to oversee the dismantling of the colony worlds myself, so we will be doing it one planet at a time”, Kolivan answered as they put down their cutleries. “The Empire owned thousands of colony worlds from all over the galaxy, but I am confident that we can free them all within the first decade of my reign.”

“Only thousands? I thought the Empire occupied more than that”, Princess Allura said.

 

“A lot of colonies are so old that several generations of Galran families have lived side by side with their Non-Galran neighbors, not to mention those who intermarried between Galra and Non-Galra. It would be cruel to tear those families apart and remove them from their homes”, Kolivan returned. “I will, however, adjust the laws so that the Non-Galra living in the colonies will have equal rights with their Galran counterparts.”

 

“It still doesn’t feel right to them. They have suffered under the Galran occupation long enough”, Princess Allura sighed wistfully.

 

“If you have another option that doesn’t involve tearing families apart, I’m open for suggestion”, Kolivan said.

 

“Why don’t you guys make something like the Commonwealth?” Shiro piped up. Kolivan turned to him and raised their eyebrows. “That way, Galra and Non-Galra can live side by side in peace.”

 

“Can you elaborate? That word does not translate well” Kolivan asked.

 

“Well… On Earth, the Commonwealth refers to an intergovernmental organization consisted of fifty or so states, nearly all of them are former territories of the British Empire. That means, these states are decolonized from the British Empire and given independency to govern their own kind”, Shiro answered.

 

“Won’t that still put the British Empire… or the Galra Empire, in this case, above the other states?” Allura asked.

 

“Well, yes and no. Member states have no legal obligation to one another, but they are still united under the Commonwealth”, Shiro answered. “Heads of member government sometimes meet to discuss matters of mutual interest, like trade and stuff.”

 

“I wouldn’t mind to trade with the Galra Empire”, the Puigian leader chimed in. “As long as we’re on equal grounds, I wouldn’t mind it at all.”

 

“Me too”, the Taujeerian leader added.

 

“We have Balmeran crystal that the Empire can extract into quintessence. In return, you can share with us some of your better technology”, the Balmeran representative said.

 

“We can’t deny that the Empire  _ does _ have better technology and stronger forces”, Ryner mused. “And with all the uncertainty regarding to the current political situation, pirates and plunderers will resurface again to wreak havoc.”

 

“This… might actually work”, Kolivan said, before nodding at Shiro. “Thank you for your input, Shiro. I will bring it up next time I hold a meeting about decolonization.”

 

The feast continued until all the foods were eaten. Coran then regaled them tales about days long past, when the Paladins of Old were still alive and the alliance between them was still strong. Kolivan and the Voltron Alliance member were equally enthralled by his stories. That was, at least, until Kolivan realized that the Black Paladin of Old in Coran’s stories was actually Zarkon.

 

Kolivan didn’t know how to think about that—though it made Zarkon’s obsession with Voltron and the Black Lion make a lot of sense.

 

Kolivan’s communicator beeped halfway through Coran’s story about the battle on Rygnirath. They excused themself, and Lance showed them somewhere private to receive the transmission. Once they did, Sendak’s face appeared on the screen.

 

_ “Emperor Kolivan, this is Commander Sendak reporting from the Lazar System. At fifteen hundred varga, I received reports that the Druids had attacked the system. We are currently being overrun—Haggar—backup—” _

 

“Sendak, you’re breaking up” Kolivan said as they moved around, hoping that it would fix the reception. No such luck, though, and the communication was cut off the next moment. 

 

Dread filled Kolivan’s chest as they realized that the Lazar System was a heavily populated area, with seven colonies and a very active trading post. If the Druids had targeted them, the casualties would be  _ massive _ .

 

Kolivan returned to the dining hall, before breaking the news. “Paladins, I know that I have no right to ask, but I just received news that the Druids are attacking the Lazar System, a heavily populated area for both Galra and Non-Galra.”

 

“We’ll be happy to help”, Shiro said as he stood up. The rest of the Paladins followed suit. “Get to your Lions, guys! Kolivan, are you going on your cruiser too?”

 

“Obviously”, Kolivan nodded.

 

“Good, wait for us above the orbit. Allura will wormhole us all”, Shiro said before leaving.

 

Kolivan did as they were told, returning to their cruiser as quickly as they could. Lotor had readied his own Sincline ship, waiting for launch. Not long after, the wormhole opened and Kolivan ordered the cruiser to enter it.

 

They came out to a complete catastrophe—the Druids were already attacking Lazar-F, the sixth planet from its host star and the most active trading post in the sector. Hundreds of ships flew above its orbit; they were launching an orbital strike to the planet’s surface. Sendak’s fleet, which consisted of five mere cruisers, were no match to the Druids’ ships.

 

“How did Haggar manage to gather such a vast amount of military force?” Kolivan asked.

 

“ _ I believe she already had her own cult-like followers back when she was still the High Priestess _ ”, Lotor answered through the comm. His Sincline ship had already launched and was assisting the Voltron Lions to thin out Haggar’s forces.

 

“Paladins, I will assist the evacuation on Lazar-F. Requesting cover!” Kolivan shouted, before barking to his own ship’s commander. “Take us in. We need to save as many people as we can!”

 

“Yes, Your Sagacity!” their commander returned.

 

“ _ Copy that, Kolivan! _ ” Shiro said through the comm. “ _ Paladins, form Voltron! _ ”

 

From their peripheral vision, Kolivan briefly saw a flash of multi-colored lights that heralded Voltron’s appearance, before their own cruiser entered the planet’s atmosphere. On the surface, thousands of druids flew above the ruined city and launched their own attacks towards its citizens.

 

“Damn it!” Kolivan cursed; they couldn’t just sit and watch as their people were being massacred right before their eyes. “Commander, continue assisting the evacuation!” they shouted, before dashing out of the bridge.

 

They found one of the airlocks and punched its activation button, practically launching themself out of the cruiser. Blade drawn, they sliced at one of the unsuspecting druid, who exploded into a violent flash of light. They threw their blade which sliced through another Druid as they landed on the floating platform, before hopping onto the next platform.

 

They continued like that for awhile, until the Druids realized what had happened and converged to attack them. Kolivan jumped from the floating platform and onto the ground, surprising some civilians who were hiding behind the rubbles.

 

“Emperor Kolivan?” one of the Galran civilians asked, voice cracking in disbelief. She was holding a young cub, no older than a toddler, close to her chest.

 

“Stay down! It is not safe!” Kolivan ordered through gritted teeth. They sliced down another Druid who tried to came close and he too exploded in a flash of light.

 

Lotor’s Sincline ship flew over Kolivan’s head and shot at the remaining Druids. It landed in front of Kolivan, before Lotor jumped out of the ship, screaming. “What the hell are you doing?! It’s not safe down here!”

 

“How’s the evacuation process?” Kolivan asked instead.

 

“Sendak’s sending out shuttles to pick up the civilians. There should be one nearby”, Lotor answered as he draw his own blade. Much to Kolivan’s surprise, his blade was also capable of slicing down the Druids—and they wondered where did Lotor get his luxite blade from.

 

Oh well, no time for that now. Kolivan turned towards the huddling civilians.

 

“You heard what he said. Now go, go, go!” Kolivan ordered. The civilians nodded before doing as they were told. 

 

Kolivan watched them go, before realizing that Sendak’s five ships and their own single cruiser wasn’t enough to carry everyone away. That meant the only way to save everyone was to destroy all of Haggar’s ship— which didn’t sound very plausible, even with Voltron’s help.

 

But then they noticed that one by one, Haggar’s ship had hyperjumped away, leaving Sendak’s ships, their own cruiser, and Voltron above the orbit. Confused, Kolivan turned to Lotor, who gave him a noncommittal shrug.

 

The cleanup afterward was easier—the Druids were no match to Voltron’s might, and they scattered away once they realized that they were being left behind. Kolivan and Lotor did their best to round them up, but the Druids were desperate and they didn’t want to be found. Kolivan took a mental note to ask for the Blade of Marmora’s help, as they possessed the only weapon that could kill the Druids.

 

Standing on the top of a destroyed building, Kolivan looked over the city sadly. One of the most active trading centers in the Empire was gone, destroyed in a single attack. Casualties were high; and while Kolivan realized it could’ve been worse without Voltron assisting them, it could’ve been way much better too.

 

They had  _ failed _ , Kolivan realized grimly. They had failed to protect the people they had sworn to protect. With all the Imperial forces at their disposal, they should’ve been able to predict where Haggar had gone, where she would attack next. This attack on Lazar System should be entirely predictable—and yet, they couldn’t predict it. They  _ didn’t _ predict it. 

 

And it was their fault, as the Emperor.

 

So why were the civilians were gathering around them, cheering at them and chanting out their name?


	3. Chapter 3

After the attack on the Lazar System, Kolivan had ordered the Third Fleet to assist with the reconstruction and reconciliation effort. Sendak had been surprisingly amenable and even helped with the reconciliation effort himself. The System was still within his sector, after all.

 

While other colonies in the system suffered during the attack, Lazar-F took the heaviest damage compared to the rest of them. Several cities were in complete ruins and the casualties were high. Those who survived had gathered in a nearby forest and lived in emergency tents, where their injured were being taken care of and the dead were being prepared for burials.

 

The Paladins had offered to assist with the reconciliation effort, and Kolivan couldn’t be more grateful. Having the Paladins present was enough to lift up the spirits of the survivors. Kolivan too had offered themself to help with the reconstruction effort, in which Sendak had leveled them with a deadpan stare and said, “I cannot expend my men to guard you at the moment, so if you would stay at the camp where it is safer, it would be a great help to all of us.”

 

So that was that.

 

“Your Sagacity, the reconstruction process is underway on the cities of Jelashe, Valar, and Lokos”, Sendak reported to Kolivan. “Meanwhile, power has gone back online on Halos, Kelovar, Tralkin, and Gaos.”

 

Kolivan, who was in the middle of distributing packets of food rations to the survivors, paused before turning to face Sendak, who had approached them along with Gnov. 

 

“How about Yersha, Arduis, and Maios?” Kolivan asked.

 

Sendak scrolled down the screen before answering, “We’re still cleaning up the rubble, but the reconstruction process is expected to go once we are done there.”

 

“And the casualties?” Kolivan asked.

 

“We’re at thirty hundred seventy nine thousand, give or take”, Sendak said, before turning his holoscreen off. Kolivan inhaled sharply—that was nearly double the casualties found three hours ago. 

 

“Your Sagacity—” Sendak began, concern in his voice, but Kolivan interrupted him.

 

“How about the search for Haggar?” they asked Gnov.

 

“We… have been unable to locate her, Your Sagacity”, Gnov answered.

 

“That’s not good enough. I want you to expend all of your resources to find her, no matter what it takes”, Kolivan returned. “We cannot have another repeat for this incident.”

 

“Yes, Your Sagacity”, Gnov saluted and left Kolivan alone with Sendak.

 

“Continue with overseeing the reconstruction and reconciliation effort, Commander”, Kolivan told Sendak.

 

“Yes, Your Sagacity”, Sendak saluted, before leaving. Kolivan turned back to continue what they were doing before Sendak interrupted them. 

 

There was still so much food to be distributed before the day was over, but the people queueing for it didn’t seem to mind with how long it took to receive their food. Instead, for some unknown reason, their face was filled with hopeful smile as Kolivan handed them the food ration packets.

 

Well, not entirely unknown. Kolivan wasn't stupid, and they knew that their people was happy to be in their presence. But that was exactly what they were confused about—they failed to protect their people, and hundreds of thousands of lives paid the price.

 

So why would the people still received their emperor with open arms, even after such catastrophic failure?

 

Kolivan didn't have time to mull it over, when a small Galran cub approached them. The sentry tried to stop her, but Kolivan simply walked past it and crouched down to meet the little girl in the eye. 

 

“Hello there”, they greeted. “What’s your name?”

 

“Shelia”, the girl answered.

 

She couldn't be older than ten, and yet she had a vacant expression on her face. Immediately, Kolivan felt another surge of guilt—this little girl had suffered so much.

 

“Are you really the emperor?” Shelia asked.

 

“That I am”, Kolivan answered.

 

“You don’t look scary”, Shelia said. “I like your braid.”

 

“Do you want to touch it?” Kolivan asked.

 

Shelia considered the offer before giving a nod. Kolivan settled more comfortably on the ground, and the girl cautiously approached them to settle on their lap. She examined their braid as if it was the most interesting thing in the whole Universe. She looked especially interested by the shiny beads at the end of Kolivan’s braids.

 

“My mate gave the beads to me before he perished”, Kolivan told her. The little girl looked up, sad expression on her face.

 

“I grieve with you”, Shelia said. “I lost my mommy too.”

 

“I grieve with you too”, Kolivan returned. “Did she perish in the attack?”

 

Shelia nodded. “The other adults didn’t wanna tell me that, but I know that she’s not gonna come back. That’s okay, though. Her quintessence will stay with me forever and ever.”

 

Kolivan did not have the heart to tell her that Haggar and the Druids would have sucked the quintessence out of their victims, that no part of her mother would be staying with her. They chose not to say anything and let the little girl examined their armor.

 

“What’s gonna happen to me now?” Shelia asked suddenly, and Kolivan welcomed the change of topic gladly.

 

“Well… I suspect you will be transferred to a creche, where you will spend the rest of your juvenile years there until you reach adulthood”, they answered.

 

“Will you come to visit me?” Shelia looked up, hope filling her eyes.

 

“Do you want me to visit you?” Kolivan asked back. The girl hesitated for a bit, before nodding. “Then I will come to visit you.”

 

Shelia’s smile was blinding.

 

Before Kolivan could say anything else, however, they heard the whir of a blaster gun charging. Immediately, they pulled Shelia closer to their chest and jumped out of harm’s way; right in time, as a bolt of plasma bullet hit the ground right where they used to sit.

 

Looking up, Kolivan saw one of the soldiers was hiding behind the rubble, a blaster gun in their hand. Immediately, Kolivan reached for a knife hidden in their vambrace and threw it towards their assailant. It hit the assassin right through their chest and they fell to the ground.

 

“An assassin! Protect Their Sagacity!” someone shouted and the sentries were immediately closing on to the dead assassin. Kolivan focused their attention back to Shelia.

 

“Are you alright?” they asked. She nodded and curled into a tighter ball, shaking. “Hey, it’s alright. We’re fine now.”

 

“Your Sagacity!” one of Sendak’s lieutenant—Hepta was his name—approached them. “Please come with me. There could be more assassins around.”

 

“No, take me to the Paladins”, Kolivan said as they began to approach Hepta, who nodded before eyeing Shelia.

 

“The girl cannot come”, he said. “She escaped her tent, and she needs to return shortly.”

 

“The girl comes or we’re not coming  _ at all _ ”, Kolivan growled fiercely.

 

“I’ll be alright”, Shelia said all of a sudden, surprising even Hepta.

 

“Are you sure?” Kolivan asked. She nodded, and Kolivan let her down onto the ground. “You are a brave little girl”, they said, and she smiled and gave them a salute, before walking away. One of the sentries took her hand, which made Kolivan feel less worried.

 

“Come now, Your Sagacity”, Hepta said, before guiding Kolivan into one of the cruisers.

 

—

 

“ _ Another _ assassination attempt?” Lotor turned sharply and the Paladins gasped.

 

They were gathering at the bridge of the Castle of Lions, and Kolivan was surrounded with the Paladins, Lotor, and Coran. Allura and Lotor were about to leave Lazar System, when Kolivan showed up and made them postpone their departure.

 

“Are you alright?” Allura asked, concerned. “Do you know who did it?”

 

“One of Sendak’s men turned traitor. Sendak is currently investigating the case”, Kolivan answered.

 

“Oh man. Are you seriously gonna trust Sendak? Because no offense, but that man is  _ shady _ ”, Hunk said with a frown.

 

“I am not”, Kolivan returned. “That is why I will confront him now.”

 

“We're coming with you”, Shiro said, and the other Paladins nodded in agreement. Kolivan breathed out in relief—they knew they could trust the Paladins.

 

They found Sendak inside his cruiser, which was orbiting Lazar-F. As soon as Kolivan and their envoy were let inside, they headed towards the bridge where Sendak was reading the reports over the console. He did a double-take when Kolivan, Lotor, and the Paladins stormed in, ears twitching in confusion.

 

“One of your men,  _ really? _ Do you think I’m a fool, Sendak? You could’ve tried harder than that to assassinate me”, Kolivan growled.

 

“I didn’t—  _ what?! _ ” Sendak narrowed his eyes at Kolivan. “You think I am the one who ordered to assassinate you? If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve used my own hands!”

 

“Then prove it”, Kolivan draw their blade and pointed it toward Sendak. “I challenge you to a duel. Right from the start, this is what you've wanted, isn’t it?”

 

Sendak let out a low growl, his ears flattening, before he slowly stood up and approached Kolivan. He didn’t bow like he usually did, and instead his head was held high in arrogance.

 

“I did not order my men to assassinate you,  _ Your Sagacity _ ”, Sendak said with a sneer. “But I did want to teach you a lesson or two for lighting up the Kral Zera the coward’s way.”

 

“The Archivist conceded to my method”, Kolivan growled lowly. “And if you have your grievance, you should’ve said in the beginning instead of throwing some empty vows like they were leaves in the wind.”

 

“My vow is not empty”, Sendak returned with a growl. “But if it is a duel you want, then a duel you will get.”

 

“Very well, then”, Kolivan returned. “Let’s get this over with.”

 

After that, it was decided that one of the moons in Lazar System to be appropriate for such kind of duel. It had perfect atmosphere and gravity, and red sand and rocks that stretched beyond the horizon. Away from prying eyes, the moon was barren as far as one could see.

 

“Do not interfere”, Kolivan told Lotor and the Paladins, before drawing their blade and taking off their cape.

 

“May the strongest be victorious”, Sendak said, taking stance and raising his massive prosthesis.

 

With that, Sendak swung his prosthesis. Kolivan countered it with their blade, sparks flying from the impact, before swiveling around it and charging forward to Sendak’s exposed left side. Sendak managed to counter Kolivan’s blade by using his vambrace, before he called back his prosthesis. Kolivan dodged it right in time.

 

“Surrender now,  _ usurper _ , and I may give you a merciful death!” Sendak shouted, shooting plasma bullets from his prosthesis, and Kolivan managed to dodge them all—except for one. It hit right in the middle of their chest, causing them to stumble backwards.

 

Kolivan panted—they hadn’t slept since they became the emperor, and slowly, they could feel its effect. Exhaustion settled deep inside their bones, but Kolivan couldn’t afford to surrender now. 

 

The future of the whole Universe rested on their shoulders.

 

They knew that it was a reckless move on their part to challenge Sendak, but Kolivan was done—they were done being paranoid over assassination attempts. They were done with their subordinates, whom they were supposedly to trust, turning on them behind their back.

 

With a yell, Kolivan charged forward and thrusted their blade. Sendak’s prosthesis came again and Kolivan used the momentum to launch themself towards Sendak. Sendak grabbed Kolivan’s blade using his bare hand before flinging them against the ground like a ragdoll.

 

“You cannot win against me”, Sendak sneered as he loomed above them, before stomping his foot to Kolivan’s wrist. Kolivan shouted out in pain—they could feel their joints breaking under the force of Sendak’s foot—and dropped their blade.

 

Using the last of their strength, Kolivan used their uninjured hand to pull out a thin knife out of their vambrace and threw it right into Sendak’s prosthetic eye. Sendak shouted out in surprise, his prosthetic eye sparking and leaking purplish quintessence, and he stumbled backwards. It gave Kolivan an opportunity to stand up. Claws unsheathed, Kolivan sliced at Sendak’s face, marking him with five long scratches that bled profusely.

 

“You filthy little mongrel!” Sendak spat, and Kolivan took out another knife from their boot, throwing it towards Sendak, who batted it with his prosthesis. Pulling out another knife, Kolivan aimed it at Sendak’s throat, right over his jugular.

 

“Do it”, Sendak hissed. A bead of blood dribbled out from where his skin met with the tip of the knife. “Victory, or death.”

 

Kolivan grit their teeth, before realization came to them slowly. Sendak was right—if he wanted them assassinated, he would’ve done it himself. After all, regicide was not an uncommon thing for the Empire, and Sendak had proved himself that he was stronger than them.

 

With that, Kolivan withdrew their knife, flicking it before inserting it back into their boot. They turned away, and felt exhaustion sapping their strength away.

 

“How dare you!” Sendak shouted. “How dare you disgrace me like this! Kill me now and be done with it!”

 

“Then live in disgrace”, Kolivan said, huffing as a wave of dizziness and nausea hit them. 

 

Then, the world spun and everything turned black.


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing that Kolivan registered was the sight of their bedchamber back at the Central Command System.

 

They blinked confusedly, before realizing that yes, this was pretty much real. They couldn’t have mistaken the small, minimalistic room where they spent every night reading or meditating instead of  _ sleeping _ .

 

Kolivan groaned as they rubbed their face. It seemed that after days of sleeplessness, their body had finally decided to crash down and force them to rest. But did it have to do it in front of Sendak and the Paladins of Voltron?

 

“Sleep deprivation,  _ really? _ ” a voice came from their left, and Kolivan turned only to find the subject of their dismay sitting by their bedside.

 

“What?” Kolivan blurted out before they could stop themself, squinting their eyes as they tried to discern if what they saw was real or if it was simply a mirage. If it was real, Kolivan couldn’t think of a reason for  _ Sendak _ , of all people, to sit by their bedside as they passed out from sheer exhaustion.

 

The Paladins, perhaps—but definitely not _Sendak_.

 

“The medics said you have a  _ freakin’ _ sleep deprivation”, Sendak elaborated, and  _ right _ … he seemed real enough. “How long has it been since you slept? One day? Two days? Since the coronation?”

 

“Why are you here?” Kolivan demanded to know, ignoring the question entirely.

 

“Permission to speak freely?” Sendak asked back.

 

“You’ve been speaking freely since before the duel. What changed now?” Kolivan retorted bluntly.

 

“The  _ duel _ ”, Sendak hissed angrily. “A sleep deprived man somehow beat me in a duel, and then proceeded to disgrace me in front of  _ outsiders _ and  _ Lotor _ .”

 

“Don’t take it personally. I am used to doing things while sleep deprived”, Kolivan said. “Now, you haven’t answered my question; why are you here, Sendak?”

 

Sendak was quiet for a moment, looking as if he was deep in thought. His prosthetic eye was gone, Kolivan realized, and the empty eye socket it was in was covered with a simple eyepatch.

 

“I am here because your sleep deprivation  _ nearly ruined _ the Empire”, Sendak replied eventually. “Did you know that your commanders were nearly tearing each other apart when I brought your unconscious body back to the Central Command? Did you know that the Empire is too  _ unstable _ to lose yet another Emperor in such short succession?”

 

Kolivan let out a sharp inhale. They were certainly expecting it, though they weren’t expecting it to happen to such degree. Apparently, they had underestimated their commanders’ capacity to be greedy. 

 

They really should be more careful in the future.

 

“Why are you too afraid to sleep? Are you afraid that someone will come into your room and murder you on your bed?”

 

Kolivan opened their mouth, before closing it with a frown.

 

“So it’s true”, Sendak said. “Listen, I've been sitting on this chair for two days, waiting for you to wake up, and I decided that I am going to offer you a deal. You protect the Empire from descending into chaos, and I will protect you.”

 

Kolivan ignored the part where Sendak said that they had passed out for two days, and instead focused on the part about the deal. Why would Sendak wanted to help them? They thought he wanted to take their title and rule the Empire himself.

 

“How can I trust you to protect me?” Kolivan asked, suspicious.

 

“You have  _ disgraced _ me, and for that you will have to pay with your life”, Sendak growled lowly. “But I cannot ignore the hard truth that you’ve been doing things more efficiently and competently to fix the Empire, even more than I could’ve ever hoped. That is why  _ I  _ will be the one to kill you at the end of your reign.”

 

Kolivan blinked. They… weren’t expecting such compliment to come from Sendak. They definitely weren’t expecting such sheer dedication radiating from Sendak.

 

“Now, you need to continue resting”, Sendak continued to speak. “Can’t have your sleep deprived state make you challenge me for another stars-damned duel.”

 

“Are you going to let that go anytime soon?” Kolivan sighed.

 

Surprisingly, a wide toothy smile spread on Sendak’s face. “Not in a thousand years.”

 

— 

 

The medics gave Kolivan three more days until they could continue their duties as usual, and Kolivan had used those three days to rest and read whatever they could learn about the Empire. 

 

Now that the unlimited knowledge the Empire had possessed was available at their fingertips, they’d gobbled up whatever information they could get their hands on like a starving man. All of the reading and studying had awakened the long-buried scholar in them, and Kolivan would’ve never turned off their holoscreen if not for Sendak threatening them to report back to the medics that they hadn’t been resting properly.

 

True to his words, Sendak began to protect Kolivan whenever he could—which was nearly all the time now that Kolivan had reassigned the Third Fleet back to the Central Command. Under Sendak's constant protection, Kolivan began to sleep uneasily, still not believing him fully, but it was still  _ better  _ than before. By the end of the third day, Kolivan began to feel less like death, and  _ restless  _ to return to their duties.

 

“Relax. Your Empire will not go anywhere”, Sendak said, when Kolivan tried and failed to clasp their vambrace on. “Let me assist you.”

 

Kolivan flicked their ears in annoyance, but eventually let Sendak help with their vambrace. Sendak was wearing a rather plain-looking prosthesis, a different one from the one he used to beat Kolivan black and blue. He finished clasping Kolivan’s vambrace on and stepped back.

 

“Ready?” he asked.

 

Kolivan nodded, and together they began the trip to the throne room.

 

“Have the Paladins returned from Oriande yet?” Kolivan asked, trying to make a smalltalk.

 

The Paladins and Lotor had asked to be excused to find a place called Oriande, a day after Kolivan had woken up. It was the birthplace of Altean alchemy, and Lotor claimed that there they could find a way to end the quintessence crisis from all over the Empire—no, even from all over the Universe. It sounded rather fantastical and Kolivan had been skeptical, but still they bid them goodbye and good luck. 

 

“No news from them yet”, Sendak replied curtly, and the conversation stopped.

 

“How about the hunt for Haggar?” Kolivan asked.

 

“Commander Gnov has confirmed that the soldier you killed had indeed worked with Haggar”, Sendak replied with a snarl. “Old bastard has been spying on all of us through him the whole time.”

 

Kolivan nodded, even though they still couldn’t shake off the fear that Sendak was somehow still under Haggar’s influence.

 

“I know what you’re thinking. Stop that”, Sendak said with a low growl. “I merely agreed for her to champion me for the Kral Zera, nothing else.”

 

“So you said”, Kolivan returned. Sendak let out a deep breath, but said nothing else

 

Eventually, they arrived at the throne room, where several colonial governors and Non-Galran representatives were gathering. The Non-Galra represented were beings called the Veloxians, a peaceful people from the Great Veloxis System—which had been occupied by the Galra Empire for the last two hundred years. Kolivan had agreed to meet them to discuss about decolonization. 

 

“Thank you for agreeing to meet here, esteemed governors and representatives”, Kolivan greeted before taking their place on the throne. Sendak stood to Kolivan’s right while Gnov took their left.

 

“No, thank  _ you _ for agreeing to meet with us”, one of the Veloxian representatives said. “You look wonderful, Your Sagacity.”

 

Kolivan tried not to fluff up in embarrassment—they were still not used to people complimenting their appearance.

 

“Thank you, Lady Xeela”, they answered instead. “Today, we will discuss about the decolonization of the Great Veloxis System—”

 

“You can’t seriously be considering pulling out our forces?” the Galran Governor asked, and Kolivan tilted their head slightly.

 

This was the first time in forever someone had interrupted them—not even their Blades did that. Kolivan took a deep breath before leveling the government with an admonishing stare.

 

“I— I mean, Your Sagacity—” the Governor stuttered and wrung his bony hands.

 

“I did consider pulling out our forces”, Kolivan said calmly. “The Great Veloxis Union is better off as—”

 

“But we  _ need _ their quintessence—!” the Governor cried out, but Kolivan let out a low growl.

 

“ _ As I was trying to say _ , the Great Veloxis Union is better off as allies and trade partners than oppressed subjects. We can buy their quintessence with GAC or other currencies, but we are  _ done _ exploiting them”, they said.

 

“But what if they sell their quintessence to, to…  _ other beings? _ ” the Governor laughed helplessly, as if such thing was unthinkable to him.

 

“Then that is within their right”, Kolivan said finally. “The Empire is entering a new era of peace and freedom. We  _ will  _ decolonize and we  _ will _ work towards a better future. Not only for us, but for all beings across the Universe.”

 

“But, but… that means the Empire will become smaller!” the Governor still tried to argue.

 

“Then it will become smaller. That does not make us  _ weaker _ ”, Kolivan retorted, before turning their attention back to the Veloxians. “You will be given gradual independence until you can fully govern yourselves, but you will be a part of Intergalactic Commonwealth still.”

 

The Veloxian representatives gaped, before they could compose themselves.

 

“What is… uh, a commonwealth?” Lady Xeela asked.

 

Kolivan smiled smugly before they launched into their explanation, and the Veloxian representatives seemed intrigued by their ideas. They couldn't say the same with the Galran governors, though, which suited Kolivan just fine.

 

—

 

Once the talk with the Great Veloxis Union representatives were done, Kolivan ordered the builders to turn one of the apartment complex in the orbital rings into living quarters for the Paladins of Voltron, dubbed as the Paladin's Hall. The reconstruction process took several days, which was rather impressive in Kolivan's own opinion. By the time the Paladins arrived from Oriande, the whole thing was already finished.

 

“Welcome back, Paladins of Voltron”, Kolivan greeted them. “I have prepared your own living quarters for you.”

 

The Human Paladins looked around in awe at the newly refurbished hall. Though the Galran interior design was rather militaristic in style, Kolivan knew that other beings loved a well-furnished room, so they had ordered to decorate the room with the comfort of the Paladins in mind. 

 

Gone were the dim lights and the black walls, replaced by bright light fixtures and freshly-painted white walls. The floor on the main chamber was lined with plush carpet, and there were several comfortable chairs scattered inside the room.

 

“You don’t have to do all this, Kolivan. We can still use the room in the Castle of Lions anyway”, Shiro said.

 

“Of course. But if we are going to work together more often, it is only logical for me to provide a place for you to rest and do recreational activities while you stay at the Central Command System”, Kolivan returned. “The Paladin’s Hall is also fully equipped with a training room, an archive room, a food preparation room, and… a gaming room?”

 

“A gaming room?!” Lance perked up.

 

“Our own kitchen?!” Hunk followed. “Oh man, I gotta see this!”

 

“I wanna see the archive!” Pidge cried out in absolute delight. “Shiro, don’t you wanna check the training room?”

 

“Well… I guess I can do that…” Shiro said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly before sauntering away to follow his fellow Paladins.

 

“Thank you for all of these troubles, Kolivan”, Allura said, smiling as she approached Kolivan. “It is good to see you in good health again.”

 

“It is no trouble at all, but thank you, Princess”, Kolivan returned. “How was your trip to Oriande?”

 

“The trip was… well, successful, to say the least”, Allura replied, eyeing Lotor before turning her attention back to Kolivan. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private? Lotor and I have something to discuss with you.”

 

“Of course. Please follow me”, Kolivan nodded, before guiding Allura and Lotor to the conference room.

 

The conference room at Central Command was rarely used, since Zarkon preferred to hold meetings in his grand throne room. But Kolivan have found that they preferred the conference room more than the throne room. It certainly felt more… private and secure than the throne room.

 

Once the three of them settled down, Lotor and Allura began to tell the stories about their quest to find the ancient sacred land of the Alteans.

 

“Princess Allura managed to unlock the knowledge of the Ancients, while I… have failed”, Lotor said ending the story.

 

“But it does not matter. I can still assist you to end your quintessence crisis”, Allura added.

 

“How?” Kolivan asked.

 

“By making another Sincline ship using the last of the trans-reality comet. By infusing it with Altean quintessence, we can use it to go into the Rift”, Lotor replied. “The quintessence field in it is a well of unlimited quintessence. By accessing it and harvesting quintessence straight from its source, we can do away with… barbaric methods like Haggar’s Komar or the enslavement of the Balmerans.”

 

Kolivan tapped their fingers on the table, deep in thought. Zarkon too had wanted to access the quintessence field—that was why he was so obsessed with finding Voltron, aside from the fact that Voltron was the strongest weapon in the Universe. And what did that tell them, that they wanted the same thing to the dead tyrant that had destroyed much of the Universe for ten thousand years?

 

“I’m still uncertain if we should do this…” Kolivan said with a hum. “After all, Zarkon—”

 

“ _ Zarkon _ wanted quintessence for his own personal gain”, Lotor hissed out disdainfully. “He wanted to rule the Empire for all eternity.”

 

“And you don’t?” Kolivan eyed Lotor, who took a sharp inhale.

 

“Kolivan, that’s  _ enough! _ ” Allura interjected, her brows knitting in anger. “You’re the one who ordered Lotor to provide quintessence for the Empire. And now that he has a solution to your problem, you’re accusing him that he is no different than his abusive father?”

 

“I understand your hesitation”, Lotor averted his eyes and sighed. “After all, it took me centuries to unlearn what my fath—what  _ Zarkon  _ had taught me since I was young. But believe me when I say that all I want is for the Empire to live side by side in peace with other beings, just like the Alteans did before Zarkon destroyed them all.”

 

Allura’s face turned solemn at the mention of her people and she placed a gentle hand on Lotor’s shoulders.

 

“My apologies. I overstepped my bounds…” Kolivan told Lotor.

 

Lotor gave them a thin smile. “An emperor apologizing to their subordinate? Now that’s something that Zarkon has never done.”

 

“Please do not compare me to him”, Kolivan said with a groan.

 

“Whyever not?” Lotor’s voice was full of friendly teasing. “I might be his son—his failure of a son but still—but you. You are his  _ successor _ .”

 

“I don’t need you to remind me that”, Kolivan flicked their ears in annoyance. “Just today, I met with colonial governors who expected me to think and act like Zarkon. When I offered independence to their Non-Galran counterparts, I thought they were going to have a heart attack simultaneously right there and then.”

 

“Oh, you started offering independence?” Allura visibly perked up. “That is great to hear, Kolivan!”

 

Kolivan then proceeded to tell Allura and Lotor about their decolonization plan, which would take at least a decade. Allura had been delighted at the plan and promised to help with the decolonization process, as one of the Paladins of Voltron.

 

Eventually, Lotor and Allura excused themselves before disappearing into the workshop. 

 

And so Kolivan returned to attend their duties, with hope filling their chest.


	5. Chapter 5

As the sight of Planet Daibazaal became closer on the viewer, Kolivan felt a stirring of emotion inside their chest. It was hard to describe what they felt. There was hesitation and anticipation, of course, but there was something larger than that, something that choked them and brought tears to their eye.

 

And then it clicked. It was the feeling like  _ returning home _ .

 

Planet Daibazaal was the home of their people, the Galra; the place where their species had evolved from savannah sprinters to a spacefaring species. To see it in complete ruins like this… it  _ angered _ them in a way they’d never felt angry, and  _ saddened  _ them in a way they’d never felt sad. 

 

The catastrophe had turned their people into  _ homeless parasites _ that infected the entire Known Universe and destroyed many civilizations. The blame laid on Zarkon and his hunger for power, and Kolivan still felt burning anger whenever they thought about their predecessor—about the mess that they had inherited to fix.

 

Kolivan took a deep breath; they wouldn’t let Zarkon ruin this moment for them. 

 

For now… they were going  _ home _ .

 

“From the stars we conquered, we are returning home”, Kolivan whispered.

 

“ _ Kolivan…? _ ” Hunk inquired from the holoscreen. It made Kolivan realize that they had said that out loud.

 

“Just some poetry from before Daibazaal was destroyed”, Kolivan explained, crossing their arms over their chest. “I admit I’m feeling rather… sentimental, at the moment.”

 

“I too can feel it”, Sendak added. “The homeland of our people… or what it used to be. And we’re about to desecrate it further with this little experiment.”

 

“ _ This ‘little’ experiment is going to help the Empire immensely _ ”, Lotor argued through the holoscreen. “ _ Beginning launching sequence now. _ ”

 

Kolivan watched as Lotor and Allura were going through the system check, their heart pounding in their chest in anticipation. The other Paladins and Coran bickered, and Kolivan listened with half an ear, focusing their attention to the parameters displayed on the holoscreen. 

 

Before the ship could launch, however, red alert blared inside the Imperial Cruiser. 

 

“Commander, report”, Kolivan ordered.

 

“We’ve got an incoming craft!” Sendak cried out. “It’s heading towards the Castle of Lions!”

 

“Cancel the launching sequence!” Kolivan said to the holoscreen, where Lotor and Allura’s faces were displayed.

 

“ _ But— _ ” Lotor tried to say, but Kolivan interrupted him.

 

“That’s an order, Warlord Lotor!” Kolivan barked, before turning to Sendak. “Get me to the Castle of Lions.”

 

“Yes, Your Sagacity”, Sendak replied, turning briefly to his lieutenant. “Lieutenant Hepta, you have the conn.”

 

Together, the two of them took a fighter to the Castle of Lions. They entered the hangar just in time to see a small white craft landing on one of the platforms—it looked incredibly similar to an Altean craft. Much to Kolivan’s surprise, Keith and Krolia climbed out of it, followed by an Altean girl and a four-legged animal.

 

“My Emperor”, Krolia said as soon as Kolivan climbed out of the fighter, followed by Sendak. She kneeled in front of them, before saying, “I, Prime Leadership Krolia of the Blade of Marmora, pledge allegiance to the new emperor, Their Sagacity Emperor Kolivan.”

 

“Rise, Krolia”, Kolivan ordered, and she did as she was told before Kolivan pulled her into a tight embrace. “It is good to see you, old friend.”

 

“It is good to see you too”, Krolia said, returning the embrace, before she pulled away. “We have a more pressing matter to attend to. Where is Lotor?”

 

“What is happening, Kolivan? Why are you ordering us to stop the launch?” Allura asked as she stepped down from the Sincline ship. Lotor followed behind her and his eyes widened in surprise.

 

“You!!” the Altean girl who came with Keith and Krolia cried out in anger, fist raising, and she would’ve punched Lotor in the face had it not for Hunk holding her back.

 

“Whoa, calm down, lady!” Hunk said. “Can somebody explain what’s going on, because I’m super confused here.”

 

“You murdered my brother and thousands others, you monster!” the Altean girl shouted, tears falling from her eyes. “Murderer! Murderer!!”

 

Kolivan stepped in between Lotor and the Altean girl, hands raising in surrendering gesture. “If someone can explain, in a  _ calm manner _ , about what in the stars is going on, that would be helpful.”

 

Keith stepped forward, and Kolivan’s attention immediately went to him.

 

“I did what you asked, to retrieve Krolia from Ranveig’s base”, Keith began. “However, she insisted that we complete her initial mission, to check where the new strain of quintessence was coming from. We went into the Quantum Abyss, where we found a planet beyond it. That’s where we met Romelle.”

 

Romelle, the Altean girl, was still struggling in Hunk’s arms, her eyes fixated onto Lotor as if she was afraid that he would disappear if she blinked. 

 

“Romelle, why don’t you tell us your story”, Krolia said, her voice gentle. “I promised you that Emperor Kolivan will help and that still does not change. We the Galra are not the same people as the one who hunted your people down thousands of years ago.”

 

Conflicted emotions flitted across Romelle’s face, before she closed her eyes and sagged in Hunk’s grip. Tears were still streaming down her eyes, but she wiped it away.

 

“I came from a planet with thousands of Alteans living in it. We have lived there since the war with Zarkon began”, she said, her voice still shaking. 

 

“What…? That’s impossible…” Coran said sadly. “Altea was destroyed. Allura and I were the only survivors.”

 

“Every Altean child knew how Lotor saved us from destruction”, Romelle said. “When Zarkon attacked, many were off-planet on trading expeditions. When news spread about the destruction of our home, those of us who remained went into hiding for decaphoebs. But Lotor, with his deep knowledge of Altean culture, managed to track some of them down.”

 

Romelle then told them all a story about how Lotor promised a safe haven for the Alteans, where Zarkon and the Galra would never find them. To keep the Alteans secure, he hid them on a remote planet beyond the Quantum Abyss. There, the Alteans lived in peace for generations and worshipped Lotor as their savior. 

 

That was until Lotor announcing that he was creating a second colony, in the promise to increase the odds of their survival.

 

Romelle told them that her whole family—her mother, her father, and even her little brother—were taken to the second colony, where she could never meet them again. But months after her brother was taken away, he crash-landed on the first colony where he died in her arms. Lotor then ordered to cover the whole thing up, and Romelle’s suspicion of him grew.

 

Then, she met with Keith and Krolia, who offered her help to find the second colony and take her there. And when they got there, what they found was something so  _ incredibly _ horrifying that Romelle was unable to continue her story.

 

“It’s a farm, to put it bluntly”, Krolia continued. “A quintessence farm. Lotor is harvesting the Alteans’ quintessence, the ones who were supposed to head to the second colony.”

 

“That’s horrifying…” Coran whispered in disbelief, and Kolivan had to agree with him. The girl’s story was too fantastical to believe—that there were Alteans hiding somewhere in the Universe, unbeknownst to Zarkon. That  _ Lotor _ was cruel enough to do such thing. Kolivan didn’t want to believe it…

 

But if Keith and Krolia were there to confirm her story… 

 

“Warlord Lotor”, Kolivan turned to face Lotor. “I order you to answer honestly. Is the girl’s story true?”

 

Lotor was silent for a long, tense moment, and somewhat Kolivan knew what his answer was.

 

“I can’t believe this…” Kolivan muttered, rubbing the bridge of their nose.

 

“Your Sagacity, please, you need to—”

 

“You lied to me!” Kolivan growled lowly. “You lied to all of us!”

 

“I never lied to you! You asked me to provide quintessence to the Empire and I did what you asked!” Lotor cried out, before turning towards Allura. “Allura, please… I’ve dedicated my life to preserve Altean culture. Now that we can unlock the quintessence field, all of your people, who would’ve been hunted down long ago had it not for  _ my  _ intervention, can live in peace.”

 

Kolivan watched as several emotions at once flitted across Allura’s face, but ultimately, she turned to where Romelle was standing and she let out a shaky breath.

 

“I understand…” Allura whispered. 

 

Then, she punched Lotor squarely in the face, causing him to stumble backwards. She turned to Kolivan, anger in her eyes. “You have a problem?”

 

“Not at all”, Kolivan shook their head, before stepping forward to grab the front of Lotor’s flight suit. “Lotor, son of Tyrant Zarkon, you are hereby stripped of your title and resources, and banished from the Empire. Leave  _ now _ , or suffer the consequences.”

 

With that, they tossed Lotor backwards, and he stumbled. 

 

Kolivan felt sick now. Not even once they had suspected Lotor would have used such abominable methods to collect quintessence. After all, there was no indication that he had owned something similar to the Komar or Balmeran refineries. The amount of quintessence that he provided was not suspiciously high either.

 

When Lotor said they could’ve done away with barbaric methods like the Komar or Balmeran refineries, was this what he meant?

 

Before Kolivan could think about it further, the castleship shook mightily and the hangar’s hull was breached. One of the Sincline ships, the one that had belonged to Lotor’s generals, showed up and began to fire at them all.

 

Kolivan immediately ducked behind one of the pillars and Sendak followed behind them, using his massive prosthesis to protect them both from plasma bullets.

 

“Can you throw one of your knives to the ship’s engine?” Sendak asked. Kolivan nodded, pulling out a knife from their vambraces before ducking out from behind the pillar. Two of the generals had stolen Lotor’s Sincline ships and they too began to fire at Kolivan.

 

“Argh!” Kolivan cried out in pain and immediately went behind the pillar. One of the bullets had pierced through their pauldron, leaving a smoking wound on their shoulder. Sendak saw it and cursed.

 

Then, just as sudden as it happened, the attack stopped. Kolivan peered from behind the pillars, just in time to see the three Sincline ships and one of the Altean pods went away. Meanwhile, Pidge had done something to seal the hull breach. Without the threat of getting sucked out into the vacuum, Kolivan and the others came out of their hiding place one by one.

 

Except for two.

 

“Hey, has anyone seen Shiro and Lotor?” Keith asked. 

 

One by one, the Paladins shook their head. No one saw Shiro and Lotor, but then again, no one saw the attack coming.

 

Except—

 

“Lieutenant Hepta”, Kolivan turned on the comm on their vambrace and a holoscreen popped up. “Did you see four crafts going away from the Castle of Lions?”

 

“We… saw them, Your Sagacity”, Hepta answered unsurely. “But they disappeared in a purple Altean wormhole.”

 

“Purple wormhole?” Lance asked. “Like Altean wormhole but purple?”

 

“Pretty sure that’s what he said”, Keith replied, impatient.

 

“ _ Haggar _ ”, Kolivan hissed out. “She must’ve recruited Lotor’s generals. The problem is how did she know where to find us? And what did she want with Lotor and Shiro?”

 

Kolivan ran through every scenario, but they still couldn’t understand why would Haggar want to take Shiro. Lotor, they could understand—even when he served under Kolivan, they still didn’t know much about the extent of Lotor’s power and influence.

 

But Shiro…? Aside from being the Black Paladin, Kolivan didn’t understand why Haggar would want him.

 

“Shiro is Haggar’s puppet”, Sendak snarled all of a sudden.

 

“What the hell are you saying?” Keith growled back at Sendak, but Sendak ignored him.

 

“He could be brainwashed or a clone”, Sendak said. “Back when I was working with Haggar before the Kral Zera, she had this… thing, called Operation Kuron. It is related to one of the Paladins, but… I did not make the connection, until now…”

 

“No way…” Keith muttered in disbelief. “No way… It can’t be…”

 

“He, he can’t be a clone, right?” Hunk said all of a sudden. “Because, uh, because if he’s a clone, then… what happened to the  _ real _ Shiro?”

 

“He did disappear for months after the last battle against Zarkon”, Kolivan realized with dread rising inside their chest. “He could’ve died, and given Haggar a chance to insert the clone into our midst.”

 

“No…” Keith whispered. “No, no no no no no…”

 

“I’m sorry, kit…” Krolia pulled Keith into her embrace as Keith slowly broke down into sobs. “I know that he is dear to you, but we must treat him like he’s a hostile until we can find a solution.”

 

As Keith’s sobbing increased in volume, Kolivan couldn’t help but to mourn with him. They had lost a great person; and a close friend, for the Paladins.

 

—

 

A year had passed since Lotor’s disappearance.

 

There was no sign of Haggar, Lotor, or Shiro, and that bothered Kolivan a lot. Even with all the resources at their disposal, they still couldn’t find Haggar and her cronies.

 

They knew that both Haggar and Lotor were masters of strategy and manipulation, and them going into hiding would only mean that they were biding their time, plotting and scheming. Kolivan was most absolutely not looking forward for the day when they would return to wreak havoc on the Empire.

 

There were better things too, at least. 

 

Kolivan had been busy giving out independence to Galran occupied worlds and promising to aid them as long as they became a part of Intergalactic Commonwealth. Within a year, the Commonwealth had grown even larger than Kolivan had expected and its members helped each other to grow and prosper.

 

Some beings, surprisingly, refused to be given independence. They stayed as part of the Empire and were given equal rights to their Galran counterparts. Together, Galra, Part-Galra, and Non-Galra worked together to build a better Galra Empire.

 

By working together with other beings, the Empire’s quintessence production grew exponentially, enough to supply even the most remote borders of the Empire. The trade with the Balmerans helped too, and so was trade with the Alteans.

 

Afraid that Haggar would use them for her own nefarious purpose, Kolivan had suggested they relocate the Alteans from their colony and destroyed Lotor’s quintessence farm as soon as possible. They also gave the Alteans an unused colony on Drachia System to rebuild their civilization, and sent them aid from time to time.

 

It took awhile for the Alteans to trust the Galra, but after being shown the second colony (or the lack thereof), the Alteans had been quick to turn Lotor from their supposed savior into the bane of their existence. 

 

Allura had taken it upon herself to lead the Alteans as their queen, with Coran and Romelle as her advisor. Within a year, New Altea had flourished and became one of the most prominent member of the Intergalactic Commonwealth, along with Olkarion and the Great Balmera Union.

 

And so, there was peace in the Known Universe, for once.


End file.
